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EC-esque Undergrounds by Joseph Fiore
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“The
EC story that implanted itself most vividly
in my [Skip Williamson] unfledged psyche was
one illustrated by Jack Davis featuring a baseball
game where intestines were the baselines, a
human heart was home plate and a head was the
ball”
[1]
“I
[Robert Crumb] had seen the first issue of Mad comics on the newsstand and I remember being
bewildered by it! ‘It's Melvin!' What does this mean?”
[2] |
Robert
Crumb's published output since
1967 has been voluminous and the circulation
of that work continues to grow. There
are estimated to be over two million copies
of Zap Comix alone, in print. |
Richard
Corben's first work was published
1968 in the Fanzine Voice of Comicdom.
Two years later Corben published his own
underground comic book entitled 'Fantagor',
which consisted of four science-fiction
tales that he had conceived and drawn
himself. They contained elements of horror,
violence and sexuality, and already embodied
the main themes of his future work. Afterwards
he worked on the underground magazines
Slow Death and Skull, sometimes using
the pseudonym "Gore". |
Gilbert
Shelton's most famous creations
are the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers
and the Wonder Warthog. His last burst
of glory was a set of three Freak Brothers
comics entitled "Idiots Abroad". |
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Its been some time since I've
contributed any Underground-related material
for the newsletter. Several distractions at
work and at home account for the absence, however
there is some exciting material being put together
as we speak. This months newsletter features
the contributions of Justin Farrell. Justin
is both an advisor and one of the most significant
contributors to the forthcoming HippyComix Underground
Price Guide. You can also say that Justin and
I share a similar interest in seeing Underground
Comix receive the recognition they so rightfully
deserve. So without further delay, I give you
this months newsletter article entitled EC-esque
Undergrounds by Justin Farrell.
Entertainment Comics (EC) was
a publisher of comic books specializing in crime,
horror, humor, war and science-fiction from
the 1940s through the 1950s. Both ECs and Underground comix (UGs)
exhibited a wider array of content than the
more conventional superhero comics that were
their contemporaries or preceded them. It is this wide array of imaginative content,
particularly the horror and crime stories, that
led to the formation of the Comics Code Authority
(EC) and its eventual subversion (UG). Collectors now recognize that the diversity
of content to be found within UGs to be wide
as the human experience (Sex, drugs, rock &
roll, racism, sexism, classism, etc.), where
the only censorship was self-imposed. Because of this, comic historians such
as Jerry Weist have posited that the three main
historical developments within comics are symbolized
by Action Comics #1, Mad #1,
and Zap
Comix #1.
[3]
Indeed, the ties between EC comics and
UG comix are very strong. EC proved a major influence on the future
underground cartoonist's and the references
in both content and visual stylization are numerous. Therefore, one can loosely define an
“EC-esque Underground” as being comix that are
(1) by former EC artists, (2) heavily influenced
by EC in content, or (3) contain overt EC pastiche.
With the publication of Mad at the editorial helm of Harvey Kurtzman, the
future UG cartoonists got their start in early
EC fandom. A group of Mad inspired humor and satire fanzines
began to appear, including Jay Lynch's Jack
High, Robert & Charles Crumb's Foo,
Don Dohler's Wild,
and Skip Williamson's contributions to both Wild & Smudge.
[4]
Kurtzman, beyond editing Mad, was equally well known for the long-running Little Annie Fanny stories in Playboy magazine
from 1962 to 1988.
[5]
Kurtzman also served as editor for
Warren
's Help! from 1962 to 1966, which gave the
first national exposure to key UG artists and
writers Gilbert Shelton, Robert Crumb, Joel
Beck, Jay Lynch, Rand Holmes, and Skip Williamson.
[6]
[7]
Kurtzman's other contributions to UG Comix
include the self-titled Kurtzman
Komix (1976) and the Mad homage cover to Bijou Funnies #8.
Wally Wood's fanzine witzend,
with an emphasis on early graphic stories, is
generally regarded as another forerunner of
the UG comix movement of 1960s-70s.
[8]
Published on an irregular schedule throughout
the 1960s, the early issues featured the creative
talents of EC veterans Wood, Will Elder, Harvey
Kurtzman, Don Martin, Reed Crandall, Frank Frazetta,
Al Williamson, and Roy Krenkel alongside early
work by the UG standouts Art Spiegelman, Vaughn
Bode, Richard “Grass” Green, and Roger Brand
(Wood's assistant). Wood later added more titles to his UG
portfolio, including a cover to Big
Apple Comix, the adult-oriented Cannon,
and the self-explanatory Gang
Bang (#1-3).
Beyond Wood's own contribution
to the UG Comix scene, one notable UG artist
frequently paid homage to Wood's science fiction
stylization. As a youngster, Rand Holmes was heavily
influenced by Wood's pencils.
[9]
For instance, Holmes' covers for Harold Hedd #2, Slow Death #5-6, Fog City Comics #2-3, and Death
Rattle (Vol. 2) #4 recall Wood's EC work
and have earned him the moniker on some message
boards as “the pothead's Wally Wood.”
In addition to former EC artists
going underground, there are also UG comix that
exhibit content and cover designs that are largely
influenced or pay homage to EC titles. In From
the Tomb #4, a fanzine emphasizing pre-code,
British reprint, and Bronze Age revival horror
comics, Frank Motler presents an EC homage listing,
amusingly titled “a jolting list of retention
in the EC tradition,” which includes many UG
comix. Given the rather obscure nature of this
publication, this listing is presented and expanded
upon for the purposes of this article.
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INSECT
FEAR #1 |
This
CGC 8.5 Insect Fear #1 (1 st print) sold for
$115 in May 2005 (Source GPA/Heritage Comics). |
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THRILLING
MURDER #1 |
This
near mint CGC 9.4 Thrilling Murder #1 (1 st
print) sold in June 2005 for $54 (Source GPA/Heritage
Comics). |
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SLOW DEATH
#1 |
This
CGC 9.6 Slow Death #1 (1 st print) sold in May
2005 for $184 (Source GPA/Heritage Comics).
This copy ranks as the highest graded according
to CGC 's Census. |
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SKULL COMICS
#1 |
A CGC 9.6 Skull
Comics #1 (2 nd print) sold for $172.50 in May
2005. Shown here is a CGC 8.5 (3 rd print) Fred
Todd File Copy (Courtesy of Steve Bergier). |
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Table 1. EC-esque Underground Comix (After Motler
2001)
[10]
Title
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Nos.
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Description
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Armpit of Fear, The
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nn
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EC cover parody; 8 pg. mini
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Barn of Fear, the
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1
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EC parody issue and cover
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Bicentennial Gross Outs
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nn
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"What me worry?" cover; Stories in the EC
tradition
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Big Apple Comix
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nn
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Cover and comix by Wally Wood, Al Williamson, and others
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Bijou Funnies
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8
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Harvey Kurtzman Mad cover parody; several stories
loosely in the EC humor style
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Bogeyman
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1-3
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"Horror in a blood vein"; Comix in the EC
tradition
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Bogeyman
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2
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Comix in the EC tradition
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Bogeyman
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3
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Comix in the EC tradition
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Cannon
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UG comix by Wally Wood
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Corporate Crime Comics
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1-2
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True crime tales in the EC tradition
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Death Rattle (Vol. 1)
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1-3
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Comix in the EC tradition
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Death Rattle (Vol. 2)
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1-13
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Horror anthology; Some stories in the EC tradition;
Rand Holmes EC science homage cover in
the style of Wood (#4); Xenozoic Tales (#8)
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Dorrgsheett Digest
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1
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EC "New Direction" parody cover
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Dr. Wirtham's Comix & Stories
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1-10
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Loosely EC-esque in title only
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Fog
City
Comics
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2-3
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Weird Science #19 parody cover (#2); Holmes art in the style of Wood
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Gang Bang
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1-3
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UG comix by Wally Wood
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Harold Hedd
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2
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Holmes art in the style of Wood
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Insect Fear
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1-3
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"Tales from the behavioral sink"; Comix in
the EC tradition
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Kurtzman Komix
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nn
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UG comix by Harvey Kurtzman, including several "Hey
Look!" panels
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Nickel Library Series
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nn
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EC homage covers; Wood, Frazetta art
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Skull Comics
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1-6
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"Tales contrived to flip you out of your";
Comix in the EC tradition; EC badge (#1-4,
6)
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Slow Death
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1-11
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Comix and covers in the EC tradition; Weird Science
#9 parody cover (#5); Holmes art in
the style of Wood (#5-6); EC science homage
covers (#6-7)
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Tales from the Fridge
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1
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EC horror cover parody
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Tales from the Ozone
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2
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Loose EC cover parody
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Tales from the Tube
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1
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"Raves from the caves of waves"; EC cover
parody
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Tales Mutated for the Mod
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1
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Mad #1 cover
parody
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Tales of Sex and Death
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1-2
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EC science homage covers
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Thrilling Murder Comics
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1
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Horror and crime stories in the EC tradition
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Two-Fisted Zombies (All New Underground Comix #5)
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5
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"Tales of night spawned contagion"
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witzend
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1-13
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Veteran EC artists alongside emerging UG talent
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Xenozoic Tales
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1-14
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Stories and art inspired by Wood, Williamson, Krenkel,
Frazetta
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According to Motler, “the
most recommended items for the general adult
EC fan would be Death
Rattle, Skull, Slow Death, Tales
from the Fridge and the essential Insect
Fear.”
[11]
Special thanks to Richard
Byard and Erik Garmany for their diligent
reviews and input into this article.
|
[1]
Rosenkranz, P. (2002). Rebel
Visions: the Underground Comix Revolution 1963-1975. (1st ed.).
Seattle
,
WA
. Fantagraphics Books. |
[2]
Crumb. R. (1998). The
R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book. (1st paperback ed.). P. Poplaski Ed.
Boston
,
New York
,
London
. Back Bay Books/Little, Brown,
and Company.
|
[3]
Weist, J. (2000). The
Comic Art Price Guide. (2nd ed.).
Gloucester
,
MA
:
Arcturian Books. |
[4]
Weist, J. (2000). The
Comic Art Price Guide. (2nd ed.).
Gloucester
,
MA
:
Arcturian Books |
[5]
Harvey Kutzman. (2005). In Wikipedia:
the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved
October 14, 2005
,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Kurtzman. |
[6]
Harvey Kutzman. (2005). In Wikipedia:
the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved
October 14, 2005
,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Kurtzman. |
[7]
Rosenkranz, P. (2002). Rebel
Visions: the Underground Comix Revolution
1963-1975. (1st ed.).
Seattle
,
WA
.
Fantagraphics Books. |
[8]
Witzend. (2005). In Wikipedia:
the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved
October 14, 2005
, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witzend. |
[9]
Rosenkranz, P. (2002). Rebel
Visions: the Underground Comix Revolution
1963-1975. (1st ed.).
Seattle
,
WA
.
Fantagraphics Books. |
[10]
Motler, F. (2001). Flattery,
the sincerest form of imitation. From
the Tomb #4.
United Kingdom
.
Peter Normanton, publ.. |
[11]
Motler, F. (2001). Flattery,
the sincerest form of imitation. From the Tomb #4.
United Kingdom
. Peter Normanton, publ.. |
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